This movie is part of the collection: Community Video

Production Company: University Video Communications
Sponsor: Apple Computers
Audio/Visual: sound, color
Keywords: Technology: Computers: History

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Reviewer: Arvid Rudling - - August 27, 2006
Subject: The big plan behind those windows
Part 2 of this lecture shows that there was a lot more thought and research behind the user interface paradigm that we today take for granted, than is usually credited. Alan presents numerous interesting theories on interaction based on various mental skills.

The highlight is definitely 36 mins. into the program (though there are several other "a-ha" moments) where Kay's accountant's daughter (22 months old!) boots up a classic mac and starts using MacPaint, seemingly "fluent" and recognizing several of the text menu commands. Amazing stuff!

Reviewer: teefal - - January 17, 2006
Subject: gore and internet
FYI to the gore thing ... he said he "helped create the internet", which he geniunely did (politically), as the people who made the technology give him credit for.

See here and

Reviewer: DPmu - - October 5, 2004
Subject: Excellent and interesting in its own right
Everything the Mocha reviewer said is true, barring the political postscript. Engelbart and Kay were very much dependant on the even more unsung genius of Doug Ross at MIT, with the invention of gestalt programming and the visual feedback device. Ross's subsequent work on the APT project led to the work of Sutherland in the Lincoln lab, and so forth, and Sutherland's work led to modern GUI via Kay, Engelbart etc.
But it was Ross doing this work in the early fifties that began it all. Give him his credit too.
Kay realised this - 60 seconds in he says "..some of it we actually thought it through and were able to use stuff that had been done before"

Please remember not everything in the history of computer science has to be seen as ammunition against MS. This film is interesting for its own sake and deserves to be seen.

Reviewer: cpt_mocha - - October 5, 2004
Subject: Fascinating...Brilliant!
Dr. Alan Kay is a pioneer and genius in the field of computer science and development of the modern day GUI for PCs and Macs. He was designing GUI systems that were WAY ahead of their time. He basically developed a fully functional version of 'Macintosh System 6' about 10 or 15 years before anyone on Earth had even heard of a Macintosh computer! Not only that, but in the fashion of a true genius, he was also laying the groundwork for all of the ideas and analysis of what makes a great GUI, and how do you develop the data structures behind it, and how do you do all of these other vastly complex things to make it functional and not just some pretty windows and icons.. It's fascinating to see how his groundwork is still the norm today. Maybe it's because all of this stuff is still too complicated for Microsoft... =P~

As seems to be all too common in this industry, Alan Kay is one of the computing industry's pioneers that only receives a mere fraction of the recognition and respect that he truely deserves. Very similar to the likes of Doug Engalbart, Steve Wozniak, Gary Kildall, etc. The reality of it is that I wouldn't be using the GUI I'm using now if it wasn't for all the blood sweat and tears of these folks.

This lecture is a must see if you appreciate true genius and realize that Micro$oft and their cronies or people like Al Gore never actually 'invented' anything..